After many years of being “THE” city to play in, New York sports teams have been through some difficult times over the last two decades. Following six soul-cleaving hours of both New York NFL football teams this past Sunday, it’s very clear that New York professional sports is in a dumpster fire right now. Both the Giants and the Jets dropped to 0-3. The two New York NFL franchises aren’t the only ones looking bad. Like the Giants and Jets, the Mets and Knicks have been horribly mismanaged for years. Meanwhile, the Yankees are the Yankees, the Islanders and Rangers are on an upswing, and the Nets just hired an NBA Hall of Famer as their head coach. But is there hope for any of these franchises? Let’s take a look.
(Note: I have not included either of the Buffalo professional sports teams because the focus is on New York METRO sports franchises. I know I’ll get the “BuT tHe GiAnTs AnD jEtS pLaY iN nEw JeRsEy” reply, but the Bills play in Orchard Park. See, I can play the geographical snobbery game, too.)
New York Mets
The Mets have been to the postseason only nine times in their entire existence, which included some memorable runs in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. As of the last two decades, though, they’ve seen more failures than success. Following the ouster of Bobby Valentine, the Mets have been through five managers. The closest they’ve come to a World Series title was their magical run in 2015 under Terry Collins. While the Mets currently have one of the best starting rotations in baseball, offense has been at times suspect, even with a talented hitter like Pete Alonso.
Dumpster Fire Level (out of 10): 4
Will it get better for the Mets? Probably. Sterling Equities, owned by the ever-unpopular Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, has owned the Mets since 2002. Recently, 72% of controlling interest was being sold to minority owner Steve Cohen – MLB approval pending – and he’s reportedly ready to open up the checkbook. Cohen brought back Sandy Alderson – who was general manager from 2010-2018 – as club president. That might mean the end of Brodie Van Wagenen’s run as general manager.
New York Knicks
Where to begin with the Knicks? Since their NBA Finals appearance in the strike-shortened 1999 season, the Knicks have only been to the playoffs six times. Their last conference finals appearance was in 2000. The Knicks are on their sixteenth – SIXTEENTH!!! – head coach since 1999. Some notable names on this list are Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, Mike D’Antoni, Derek Fisher, Jeff Hornacek, and most recently David Fizdale. But it’s not all on the coaches; the Knicks are on their eleventh general manager in the same time period. Again, the notable names: Dave Checketts, Thomas, Donnie Walsh, and most recently Phil Jackson.
Dumpster Fire Level (out of 10): 8.5
The most perplexing thing about team owner Jimmy Dolan is that he has hired capable staff to run the Rangers, but the Knicks are a perpetual revolving door. He has put trust in new general manager Leon Rose, who has exactly… ZERO years of executive experience. However, Rose does have connections as a player agent and he is one of the authors of the deals that united LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade in Miami. Rose’s first personnel move was the hire of Tom Thibodeau, who had success in Chicago but could not match the same in Minnesota. Time will tell if the flames in the Knicks dumpster fire get hotter or abates.
New York Giants
General manager David Gettleman has been placed in charge of building another Blue Dynasty (band name – called it!) by the Mara family. The man who built a Super-Bowl contender in Carolina has had a rough go of it his first two seasons in New York, though. His first coaching hire, Pat Shurmur, was fired after only two seasons. Gettleman’s pick of quarterback Daniel Jones in the 2019 draft was panned by the relentless New York media. This season, the Giants lost star running back Saquon Barkley for the season with a torn ACL in Week 2.
Dumpster Fire Level (out of 10): 5.5
Not all is lost for the G-Men; Gettleman is in the midst of a rebuild in which he will address particular areas… like offensive line. He helped build and fortify the offensive line that helped Cam Newton earn league MVP honors in 2015. But Gettleman will also need to acquire some talent around Jones to help his development. Otherwise, Jones could end up on a team like the final team on this list.
New York Jets
This one hurts the most because I’m a lifelong fan of this team. But for the last two decades, the Jets have been horribly mismanaged. Following Bill Parcells’ departure as head coach, he appointed then-defensive coordinator Bill Belichick as head coach. Jets fans are all too familiar with what happened next. The Jets are on their sixth coach since that fateful day – soon to be seven if Adam Gase is let go. Worse yet, the future franchise quarterback the previous general manager drafted – Sam Darnold – is starting to turn into the dreaded “B” word. (That’s “bust,” not the other “B” word).
Dumpster Fire Level (out of 10): 11
The frustration starts at the top with the Johnson brothers – Woody and Christopher. Prior to his UK ambassador appointment, Woody was focused on staying relevant rather than building a winner. Christopher committed one of the biggest blunders in team history by hiring Gase in February 2019. The previous general manager – Mike Maccagnan – failed to build a capable offense around Darnold. This has left current general manager Joe Douglas to clean up a big mess. An already inpatient fanbase whose team has the longest title drought amongst the New York teams will sadly have to wait even longer for a championship.
If you liked this column, check out my weekly Over-Reactionary Hot Seat Scale. Got an opinion on this column? Leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter: @WhoIsRyanMcC. And don’t forget to check out my podcast No Credentials Required (new episodes every Wednesday) and my live stream show A-Round for the Weekend (most Fridays at 6:30pm).
